The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

As a child, I was given “The Magician’s Nephew” as a gift but I never finished it. I did understand its place in the entire story however as “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was approaching release. I had a feeling that the filmmakers would adapt the story well and I am glad I was right. The story is not only well depicted on screen but other cinematic elements are noteworthy also. The casting & special effects worked very nicely and the design is special.

The film has many themes, especially Christian ones but the major theme that I can see is that of rising to the occasion. The opening scene of the bombing of London is important to contrast the feelings of Narnia and to establish characters. We will come to understand that Edmund has some lessons to learn but so does Peter. Peter must learn how to properly look after his younger siblings and more especially Edmund. I like the use of the jazz song during the game of hide and seek. It also contrasts the world that Lucy will soon discover. It is a great moment when the wardrobe is first revealed. The White Witch must come across as good-natured at first for us who have not read the books. I could tell however that she was not what she seemed. I like how the White Witch has icicles on her eyelashes. It is a nice touch by the make up people who won an Oscar for this film. I think Edmund lies about visiting Narnia because he is ashamed that he told the White Witch about Mr. Tumnus but mostly because she has swayed him. His attitude made him the perfect one out of the four to be tempted. I like the scene when all four children arrive in Narnia together and they have a snowball fight. This is a great moment for all of Narnia and the snowball fight contrasts the significance of their arrival. The movie takes us on a great adventure from that point on. One of my favorite moments in this film was with Santa Claus. When I first saw this film, I didn’t think it was Santa and I joked to my date that it was Santa. Then as the scene progressed, I realized that it really was Santa and I was embarrassed. I didn’t expect him to show up in Narnia but I guess I don’t know C. S. Lewis very well. It might explain the lack of loot in my stocking since then. The scene took on a much different tone after my realization. Santa’s design is very well adapted for this film. The stereotypes associated with Santa have been stripped down to his essence. As mentioned, there are apparent Christian allegories in the story but because this review is about the film and not the original book, I choose not to explain them in detail but rather indicate them and applaud the filmmakers on including them in the film. Some filmmakers might have been afraid to portray such metaphors but due to their importance in the original story, there was really no choice if the filmmakers wanted to adapt things right. My favorite, symbolic parts of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” include the humiliation and death of Aslan on the stone table. He sacrifices himself in order that Edmund may be forgiven of his betrayal. Aslan’s sacrifice and subsequent resurrection also brings salvation to all of Narnia. Edmund in the story represents themes of sin, forgiveness and repentance. Another Christian similarity is that Aslan heals those who have been turned to stone by the Witch after Aslan is resurrected. I like the silence before the two armies meet. It is a good dramatic moment courtesy of director Andrew Adamson. The coronation scene is another powerful moment that concludes the film. I find it wondrous that the Kings and Queens end up forgetting about life in the real world until they return.

When I first saw “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, I could easily see resemblances to “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy. The film is not a gritty as that franchise for obvious reasons but I still see a resemblance. This is due to the fact that the movie was filmed in New Zealand and Oscar-winners Richard Taylor & Alan Lee from “The Lord of the Rings” were designers on “Narnia”. Because of this similarity, I felt that “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was a little short. I could have enjoyed another 30 minutes of running time. The special effects on this film deserved their Oscar nomination. The music is pretty good and does resemble the soundtracks of “Shrek” and “Shrek 2” only slightly. Speaking of that, Director Andrew Adamson was able to take the genuine fantasy feeling he incorporated in the first two “Shrek” films and apply it sincerely to this film. Unlike the “Shrek” films however, there is thankfully no satire in “Narnia”. The actors playing the children do so well. They had to be unknowns so that they wouldn’t appear like heroes from the start of the film. They also must be able to portray wisdom beyond their years. Jim Broadbent was such a great choice for the Professor. We really like his character once we meet him even though we were made to be apprehensive towards him. The Professor becomes the voice of reason at the beginning of the film. This film introduced me to James McAvoy and Ray Winstone. Rupert Everett did very well as Fox and I am so glad that Liam Neeson ended up as the voice of Aslan. His persona from “Episode I” of “Star Wars” worked to bring Aslan’s wisdom to the big screen.

This show did very well in setting up a film franchise. The casting was well done and the special effects were given the attention they needed to support the known story by C. S. Lewis. The successful adaption of his novel was accomplished and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” will remain a wonderful family film for years to come.

4 Stars